OoTrap: enhancing oocyte collection and maturation with a field-deployable fluidic device.

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are pivotal for contemporary reproductive medicine and species conservation. However, the manual handling required in these processes introduces stress that can compromise oocyte and embryo quality. This study introduces OoTrap, a novel fluidic device designed to streamline ART workflows by facilitating the capture and maturation of oocytes in a compact unit.

Exploring the potential of in vitro extracellular vesicle generation in reproductive biology.

The interest in the growing field of extracellular vesicle (EV) research highlights their significance in intercellular signalling and the selective transfer of biological information between donor and recipient cells. EV studies have provided valuable insights into intercellular communication mechanisms, signal identification and their involvement in disease states, offering potential avenues for manipulating pathological conditions, detecting biomarkers and developing drug-delivery systems. While our understanding of EV functions in reproductive tissues has significantly progressed, exploring their potential as biomarkers for infertility, therapeutic interventions and enhancements in assisted reproductive technologies remains to be investigated.

Effects of bovine ovarian storage conditions and vitrification on isolated preantral follicle viability.

The decreasing rate of successful pregnancies, both naturally and through assisted conception, has led to innovations in the way eggs, sperm, and embryos are stored. Despite these advances, the use of assisted reproductive techniques to preserve endangered or rare species remains unexplored. Since the location where samples are collected and facilities are often far apart, we aim to address part of this challenge by comparing different methods to store and handle ovarian tissue before freezing.

Opportunities involving microfluidics and 3D culture systems to the embryo production.

Traditional methods of gamete handling, fertilization, and embryo culture often face limitations in efficiency, consistency, and the ability to closely mimic conditions. This review explores the opportunities presented by microfluidic and 3D culture systems in overcoming these challenges and enhancing embryo production. We discuss the basic principles of microfluidics, emphasizing their inherent advantages such as precise control of fluid flow, reduced reagent consumption, and high-throughput capabilities.

The need for environmentally realistic studies on the health effects of terrestrial microplastics.

Unlabelled: Plastic pollution is now so widespread that microplastics are regularly detected in biological samples surveyed for their presence. Despite their pervasiveness, very little is known about the effects of microplastics on the health of terrestrial vertebrates. While emerging studies are showing that microplastics represent a potentially serious threat to animal health, data have been limited to in vivo studies on laboratory rodents that were force fed plastics.

Mining RNAseq data reveals dynamic metaboloepigenetic profiles in human, mouse and bovine pre-implantation embryos.

Metaboloepigenetic regulation has been reported in stem cells, germ cells, and tumor cells. Embryonic metaboloepigenetics, however, have just begun to be described. Here we analyzed RNAseq data to characterize the metaboloepigenetic profiles of human, mouse, and bovine pre-implantation embryos.

Exploiting Microfluidics for Extracellular Vesicle Isolation and Characterization: Potential Use for Standardized Embryo Quality Assessment.

Recent decades have seen a growing interest in the study of extracellular vesicles (EVs), driven by their role in cellular communication, and potential as biomarkers of health and disease. Although it is known that embryos secrete EVs, studies on the importance of embryonic EVs are still very limited. This limitation is due mainly to small sample volumes, with low EV concentrations available for analysis, and to laborious, costly and time-consuming procedures for isolating and evaluating EVs.

Investigating media that support red wolf () sperm viability and capacitation .

Unlabelled: The red wolf is a critically endangered canid, with ~250 and ~20 individuals in the and reintroduced wild populations, respectively. Assisted reproductive technologies such as sperm cryopreservation and fertilization therefore represent critically-needed tools to manage these populations. However, the motility of post-thaw red wolf sperm rapidly declines during incubation, hindering the ability to develop these technologies.

Follicular extracellular vesicles enhance meiotic resumption of domestic cat vitrified oocytes.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain multiple factors that regulate cell and tissue function. However, understanding of their influence on gametes, including communication with the oocyte, remains limited. In the present study, we characterized the proteome of domestic cat (Felis catus) follicular fluid EVs (ffEV).

Author Correction: A dog oviduct-on-a-chip model of serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

A dog oviduct-on-a-chip model of serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth cause of cancer-related mortality in women, with an expected 5-year survival rate of only 47%. High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), an epithelial cancer phenotype, is the most common malignant ovarian cancer. It is known that the precursors of HGSC originate from secretory epithelial cells within the Fallopian tube, which first develops as serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC).

3D printed mold leachates in PDMS microfluidic devices.

The introduction of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and soft lithography in the 90's has revolutionized the field of microfluidics by almost eliminating the need for a clean-room environment for device fabrication. More recently, 3D printing has been introduced to fabricate molds for soft lithography, the only step for which a clean-room environment is still often necessary, to further support the rapid prototyping of PDMS microfluidic devices. However, toxicity of most of the commercial 3D printing resins has been established, and little is known regarding the potential for 3D printed molds to leak components into the PDMS that would, in turn, hamper cells and/or tissues cultured in the devices.